Sunlight Causes Fires In Homes Off Shiny Objects

Another sunlight blaze caused by a mirror focussing rays onto bedding. Plenty of sunshine today and over the weekend so if you've got mirrors, bottles of water or even crystal balls on your window sill it might be a good idea to get them out of the pesky sunrays.

Sunlight causes another blaze this time in Croydon: The sun has again caused destruction, this time a bedroom on Peregrine Gardens in Shirley, Croydon. A concave mirror focused the sunrays onto bedding and badly damaging first floor. A woman escaped after hearing her smoke alarm sound and was checked over by London Ambulance Service crews.

Brigade fire investigator Mark Ross said: "The sun seems to be more prevalent this year so I’d ask everyone to keep mirrors, bottles of water  and crystal balls out of direct sunlight. Thankfully the resident was alerted to the fire by her smoke alarm that our crews fitted two years ago. "It is essential that everyone has at least one smoke alarm on every level of their home." Watch Manager, Andy Vaughan-Davies, of the Fire Investigation Team, explains why these fires aren't a myth..

The Brigade was called at 1122 and the fire was under control at 1210. Fire crews from Norbury and Addington fire stations were at the scene.

In the last five years we've seen 125 fires caused by the sun's rays. Other incidents this year include the Nutella jar fire incident and a small fire in the Mayfair home of lingerie tycoon Michelle Mone, were the other two. Mone told her 889,000 Twitter followers, sunlight had reflected off of a mirror onto a bean bag. She put the fire out herself and the Brigade didn't attend.

Click to enlarge.

The Brigade's top three safety tips:

• Keep mirrors and crystal or glass objects away from the sunny sills
• Fit at least one smoke alarm per floor and test them every week to make sure they work and the batteries are not flat
• If you have a fire, close the door on the blaze, get out stay out and call the Brigade

Also see: Clean Windows + Low Winter Sun + Glass Refocus = Fire

Working Through The Heat Wave

Daniel Martinez and Jose Garcia of Ossining Window Cleaners take a quick break from washing windows at the Hastings Library.

Working Through The Greenburgh Heat Wave (Greenburgh, N.Y.) - Window washers Daniel Martinez and Jose Gracia were happy to find a bit of relief from Wednesday's heat wave, ducking under a tree to reach the second floor windows at the Hastings Public Library. "Very hot, all day, all week," said Martinez, who works with Garcia for the Ossining Window Cleaning Co. "We are trying to get the work done in eight hours each day. We do high buildings too. Then you get some breeze." With the National Weather Service predicting at least three more days of plus-90 degree temperatures, the Westchester County Health Department has issued a county-wide heat advisory, which cautions people to drink plenty of water and avoid long periods in the direct heat unless necessary.

Mark Carlson a window cleaner & also a vendor at Target Field, works the crowd.

BEER HERE - The sun begins rising over Minnie and Paul about 5 a.m., arcing high above their center field perch and bathing Target Field in sunshine under a brilliant blue sky. The New York Yankees are in town and the ballpark will soon be buzzing with energy. For the next 14 hours, none of it will involve an actual baseball game. About 1,200 workers are deployed to scrub, stock, prep and prime the stadium, a routine the group performs before each main event -- 81 regular-season games.

Meanwhile, in the service level accessible only to employees, Mark Carlson is readying for battle among his fellow vendors. He stands 6 feet 7, with a reddish goatee and ruddy complexion that bear a striking resemblance to former slugger Mark McGwire. It is 6:20, and Carlson is about to learn what he will be selling and where. The 48-year-old window cleaner from Minnetonka started vending at Met Stadium at age 15 and is one of only six who have sold at all three Twins venues. Carlson said he has vended at more than 25 stadiums and arenas across the country, including Wrigley Field, Dodger Stadium, Lambeau Field and Candlestick Park.

About 100 vendors dressed in fluorescent shirts are milling around the assignment desk strategizing how best to make a buck. Beer generally is the most lucrative product to hawk but it also is the most expensive (typically $7.50 per bottle), sometimes making for less generous customers. Still, the weather is warm, and it is the night before the July 4 holiday. Carlson has no desire to lug Coke and ice cream. Seniority gives him preference, so Carlson opts for beer, peanuts, sunflower seeds and Cracker Jack. He marches toward a dispensary on the main concourse behind Section 121. He derides several colleagues who have dropped anchor and started selling to passers-by.

"This isn't why we're here," Carlson said. "That's like shooting fish in a barrel." Suddenly, Carlson realizes he has forgotten his knee brace at his locker, and he races back to retrieve it. Lugging 40 pounds of ice, snacks and cold beverages for more than 30 years takes its toll. He chooses to work the lower-deck boxes near the visitors' dugout. "The stairs aren't as steep. It's just a lot easier on my knees," he said. Carlson attaches empty beer bottles, his price buttons and several flashing trinkets to his shirt, shoulders his case and walks into his first section at 6:48 p.m. "Cold beer here! Cold beer! Cold beer! Gitchyer cold beer here!"

Jesse Green owner and operator of Sparkle King. Jesse above protecting himself from the sun. Serving the South Shore, South Coast, and Cape Cod Massachusetts.

Give me shelter…. One Window Cleaner’s Flight from the Sun - While cleaning windows in Cape Cod this last year, I have gotten into some risky behavior. You see, the moist salty air coming off the ocean feels so good on my skin that I end up not protecting myself as I should. So while my skin was turning a nice golden brown, I also was getting mildly burnt enough times to warrant a dirty look from any self respecting dermatologist.

Some may say that the solution is as simple as slathering yourself in SPF 50 sunblock. That’s great if you don’t sweat like I do…. buckets. And forget about the waterproof stuff, makes you feel like a cookie sheet getting greased to go in the oven.

Besides half the time, I just plain forget to put the sunblock on.

I needed a solution. My desperation increased as the temps rose into the mid nineties with the humidity to rival an equatorial jungle.

I turned once again to the shadowy world of performance enhancing clothing. I wanted to play it straight, to be all natural… but the lure of SPF rated high performance nylon weaves beckoned to me. “We will protect you, shield you from the molten rays, wick away your foul sweat and launder with relative ease” The fibers seemed to say. Or at least that’s what I heard in my heat stroke hallucination.

Like any junkie switching from one kick to another, I started tentatively and with great care…. first it was a hi-tech fishing shirt, and that seemed like enough. But then after awhile I suddenly needed fancy hiking pants, then somehow I ended up with an African safari hat. I don’t know where it will end. The next time you see me, you may mistake me for a river rafting guide.

I sometimes worry that my customers will panic. That they will assume my prices will start inching up. That I will have to charge double to afford all the swanky performance fibers that drape hang from me like linen on An Egyptian Pharaoh.

Thankfully my habit of not shaving very often keeps my appearance down to earth curbs that sort of panicked thinking.

So here I am writing this article from my hammock after work. I am tick free from my long pants. No scratches from rose bushes as I weasel my way through customer’s back yards. My neck is unscathed from my window cleaning gymnastics during the tropical heat blast, and most importantly, no heat induced hallucinations.

What is heat stress? "Heat stress" is the net (overall) heat burden on the body from the combination of the body heat generated while working, environmental sources (air temperature, humidity, air movement, radiation from the sun or hot surfaces/sources) and clothing requirements. [Reference: 2008 TLVs and BEIs: Threshold Limit Values for Chemical Substances and Physical Agents and Biological Exposure Indices. Cincinnati, Ohio: American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists, 2008. p. 217.] Other heat-related terms are at the end of this document in the Glossary of Terms.

In foundries, steel mills, bakeries, smelters, glass factories, and furnaces, extremely hot or molten material is the main source of heat. In outdoor occupations, such as construction, road repair, open-pit mining and agriculture, summer sunshine is the main source of heat. In laundries, restaurant kitchens, and canneries, high humidity adds to the heat burden. In all instances, the cause of heat stress is a working environment which can potentially overwhelm the body's ability to deal with heat.

Most people feel comfortable when the air temperature is between 20°C and 27°C and the when relative humidity ranges from 35 to 60%. When air temperature or humidity is higher, people feel uncomfortable. Such situations do not cause harm as long as the body can adjust and cope with the additional heat. Very hot environments can overwhelm the body's coping mechanisms leading to a variety of serious and possibly fatal conditions.

This OSH Answers document contains information relating to the health effects of hot environments. Please see Working in Hot Environments - Control Measures for information about the prevention and control from heat related illnesses.

How does the human body react to hot environments?

The healthy human body maintains its internal temperature around 37°C. Variations, usually of less than 1°C, occur with the time of the day, level of physical activity or emotional state. A change of body temperature exceeding 1°C occurs only during illness or when environmental conditions surpass the body's ability to cope with extreme temperatures.

As the environment warms-up, the body tends to warm-up as well. The body's internal "thermostat" maintains a constant inner body temperature by pumping more blood to the skin and by increasing sweat production. In this way, the body increases the rate of heat loss to balance the heat burden created by the environment. In a very hot environment, the rate of "heat gain" exceeds the rate of "heat loss" and the body temperature begins to rise. A rise in the body temperature results in heat illnesses.

How does the body control heat gain and heat loss?

The main source of heat gain is the body's own internal heat. Called metabolic heat, it is generated within the body by the biochemical processes that keep us alive and by the energy we use in physical activity. The body exchanges heat with its surroundings mainly through radiation, convection, and evaporation of sweat.

Radiation is the process by which the body gains heat from surrounding hot objects, such as hot metal, furnaces or steam pipes, and loses heat to cold objects, such as chilled metallic surfaces, without contact with them. No radiant heat gain or loss occurs when the temperature of surrounding objects is the same as the skin temperature (about 35°C).

Convection is the process by which the body exchanges heat with the surrounding air. The body gains heat from hot air and loses heat to cold air which comes in contact with the skin. Convective heat exchange increases with increasing air speed and increased differences between air and skin temperature.

Evaporation of sweat from the skin cools the body. Evaporation proceeds more quickly and the cooling effect is more pronounced with high wind speeds and low relative humidity. In hot and humid workplaces, the cooling of the body due to sweat evaporation is limited by the capacity of the ambient air to accept additional moisture. In hot and dry workplaces, the cooling due to sweat evaporation is limited by the amount of sweat produced by the body.

The body also exchanges small amounts of heat by conduction and breathing. By conduction, the body gains or loses heat when it comes into direct contact with hot or cold objects. Breathing exchanges heat because the respiratory system warms the inhaled air. When exhaled, this warmed air carries away some of the body's heat. However, the amount of heat exchanged through conduction and breathing is normally small enough to be ignored in assessing the heat load on the body.

What are the effects of hot environments on the body?

When the air temperature or humidity rises above the optimal ranges for comfort, problems can arise. The first effects are subjective in nature - they relate to how you feel. Exposure to more heat stress can cause physical problems which impair workers' efficiency and may cause adverse health effects. (Short-term exposure / Long-term exposure).

Some of the problems and their symptoms experienced in the temperature range between a comfortable zone (20C - 27°C) and the highest tolerable limits (for most people) are summarized in Table 1.

In moderately hot environments, the body "goes to work" to get rid of excess heat so it can maintain its normal body temperature. The heart rate increases to pump more blood through outer body parts and skin so that excess heat is lost to the environment, and sweating occurs. These changes impose additional demands on the body. Changes in blood flow and excessive sweating reduce a person's ability to do physical and mental work. Manual work produces additional metabolic heat and adds to the body heat burden. When the environmental temperature rises above 30°C, it may interfere with the performance of mental tasks.

Heat can also lead to accidents resulting from the slipperiness of sweaty palms and to accidental contact with hot surfaces. As a worker moves from a cold to a hot environment, fogging of eye glasses can briefly obscure vision, presenting a safety hazard.

Several studies comparing the heat tolerances of men and women have concluded that women are generally less heat tolerant than men. While this difference seems to diminish when such comparisons take into account cardiovascular fitness, body size and acclimatization, women have a lower sweat rate than men of equal fitness, size and acclimatization. Laboratory experiments have shown that women may be more tolerant of heat under humid conditions, but slightly less tolerant than men under dry conditions.

What are the illnesses caused by heat exposure?

The risk of heat-related illness varies from person to person. A person’s general health also influences how well the person adapts to heat (and cold). Those with extra weight often have trouble in hot situations as the body has difficulty maintaining a good heat balance. Age (particularly for people about 45 years and older), poor general health, and a low level of fitness will make people more susceptible to feeling the extremes of heat.

Medical conditions can also increase how susceptible the body is. People with heart disease, high blood pressure, respiratory disease and uncontrolled diabetes may need to take special precautions. In addition, people with skin diseases and rashes may be more susceptible to heat.

Substances -- both prescription or otherwise -- can also have an impact on how people react to heat.

Heat exposure causes the following illnesses:

Heat edema is swelling which generally occurs among people who are not acclimatized to working in hot conditions. Swelling is often most noticeable in the ankles. Recovery occurs after a day or two in a cool environment.

Heat rashes are tiny red spots on the skin which cause a prickling sensation during heat exposure. The spots are the result of inflammation caused when the ducts of sweat glands become plugged.

Heat cramps are sharp pains in the muscles that may occur alone or be combined with one of the other heat stress disorders. The cause is salt imbalance resulting from the failure to replace salt lost with sweat. Cramps most often occur when people drink large amounts of water without sufficient salt (electrolyte) replacement.

Heat exhaustion is caused by loss of body water and salt through excessive sweating. Signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion include: heavy sweating, weakness, dizziness, visual disturbances, intense thirst, nausea, headache, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle cramps, breathlessness, palpitations, tingling and numbness of the hands and feet. Recovery occurs after resting in a cool area and consuming cool salted drinks.

Heat syncope is heat-induced giddiness and fainting induced by temporarily insufficient flow of blood to the brain while a person is standing. It occurs mostly among unacclimatized people. It is caused by the loss of body fluids through sweating, and by lowered blood pressure due to pooling of blood in the legs. Recovery is rapid after rest in a cool area.

Heat stroke and hyperpyrexia (elevated body temperature) are the most serious types of heat illnesses. Signs of heat stroke include body temperature often greater than 41°C, and complete or partial loss of consciousness. The signs of heat hyperpyrexia are similar except that the skin remains moist. Sweating is not a good symptom of heat stress as there are two types of heat stroke – “classical” where there is little or no sweating (usually occurs in children, persons who are chronically ill, and the elderly), and “exertional” where body temperature rises because of strenuous exercise or work and sweating is usually present.

Heat stroke and heat hyperpyrexia require immediate first aid and medical attention. Delayed treatment may result in damage to the brain, kidneys and heart. Treatment may involve removal of the victim's clothing and spraying the body with cold water. Fanning increases evaporation and further cools the body. Immersing the victim in cold water more efficiently cools the body but it can result in harmful overcooling which can interfere with vital brain functions so it must only be done under close medical supervision.

What are the illnesses caused by long-term (chronic) heat exposure?

Certain kidney, liver, heart, digestive system, central nervous system and skin illnesses are thought by some researchers to be linked to long-term heat exposure. However, the evidence supporting these associations is not conclusive.

Chronic heat exhaustion, sleep disturbances and susceptibility to minor injuries and sicknesses have all been attributed to the possible effects of prolonged exposure to heat.

The lens of the eye is particularly vulnerable to radiation produced by red-hot metallic objects (infrared radiation) because it has no heat sensors and lacks blood vessels to carry heat away. Glass blowers and furnace-men have developed cataracts after many years of exposure to radiation from hot objects. Foundry workers, blacksmiths and oven operators are also exposed to possibly eye-damaging infrared radiation.

A possible link between heat exposure and reproductive problems has been suggested. Data from laboratory experiments on animals have shown that heat stress may adversely affect the reproductive function of males and females. Exposure of males resulted in reduced rate of conception. Exposure of females caused disruption of the reproductive cycle until they became acclimatized to heat. When animals are simultaneously exposed to heat and toxic chemicals, the influence of heat exposure seems to accelerate the chemical reactivity.

In men, repeatedly raising testicular temperature 3 to 5°C decreases sperm counts. There is no conclusive evidence of reduced fertility among heat-exposed women. There are no adequate data from which conclusions can be drawn regarding the reproductive effects of occupational heat exposure at currently accepted exposure limits.

Laboratory study of warm-blooded animals has shown that exposure of the pregnant females to hyperthermia may result in a high incidence of embryo deaths and malformations of the head and the central nervous system (CNS). There is no conclusive evidence of teratogenic effects of hyperthermia in humans. The NIOSH criteria document (1986) recommends that a pregnant worker's body temperature should not exceed 39-39.5°C during the first trimester of pregnancy.

(Reference: Occupational exposure to hot environments. Revised Criteria. Cincinnati, Ohio: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 1986)

What are some of the terms used in this document (Glossary of Terms)?

 

Acclimatization - Physiological changes which occur in response to several days of heat exposure and make the body accustomed to a hot environment.

Convection - Process of heat exchange between the body and the surrounding air or fluid as a result of bulk flow of that air or fluid.

Dehydration - Loss or deficiency of water in body tissues caused by sweating, vomiting or diarrhea. Symptoms include excessive thirst, nausea, and exhaustion.

Heat cramps - Painful and often incapacitating cramps in muscles. Heat cramps are caused by depletion of salt in the body as a result of heavy sweating, and ingestion of water without replacing salt.

Heat exhaustion - Weakness, lassitude, dizziness, visual disturbance, feeling of intense thirst and heat, nausea, vomiting, palpitations, tingling and numbness of extremities after exposure to a hot environment.

Heat hyperpyrexia - Rise in body temperature with moist skin and mental dysfunction, caused by exposure to an extremely hot environment.

Heat rash (prickly heat or milliaria) - An itchy rash of small raised red spots on the face, neck, back, chest and thighs caused by a hot and moist environment.

Heat strain - Physiological and behavioural responses of the body as a result of heat exposure.

Heat stroke - Acute illness caused by overexposure to heat. Symptoms are dry, hot skin, high body temperature (usually over 105F) and mental dysfunction.

Heat syncope - Temporary loss of consciousness induced by insufficient flow of blood to the brain. Recovery is normally prompt and without any long-term ill effects.

Metabolic rate - Rate of energy (heat) production of the body which varies with the level of activity.

Natural Wet Bulb Temperature - Air temperature measured using a thermometer in which the bulb is covered with wet cotton wick and cooled by the natural movement of air.

Nausea - The feeling that one is about to vomit as experienced in seasickness.

Prickly heat - See Heat rash.

Radiation (heat) - Transfer of heat between hot and cold bodies without contact between them.

Relative humidity - The ratio of the water vapour content of air to the maximum possible water vapour content of air at the same temperature and air pressure.

Window Cleaning News

A never ending window cleaning job

Dubai’s Ziggurat City Will House A Million: Dubai wants to build one of the wonders of the earth – a massive flat-topped pyramid where a million people can live in a self-sustaining environment. A city within a city, dubbed Ziggurat after the temples of ancient desert peoples who first lived in the Middle East, the base will be almost a mile square. With roots in history, the building is definitely at the cutting edge of science with green technologies that do not run on fossil fuels and a transport system that runs vertically and horizontally. The futuristic building is expected to be open in time for the Cityscape Dubai exhibition in October 2013. Cityscape is the region’s largest and most prestigious real estate event that attracts thousands of delegates from around the world each year.

A 15-year-old boy working as a window-washer fell to his death from the ninth floor of a building on Wednesday afternoon. The incident occurred at a construction site in the central Israeli town of Bnei Brak. Paramedics tried to resuscitate the boy at the scene, but were unable to do so. The young man’s family has been involved in criminal activity. Two family members were arrested recently for serious crimes, and another relative was arrested in a separate incident. Despite the family history, the Dan District Police believe after a preliminary investigation that the boy’s death was an accident, not the result of foul play. The boy worked with his father at the site near the Bnei Brak- Ramat Gan border, where two apartment towers are in their final stage of construction.

Keeping New York workers safe in the heat: New York workers need to take precautions to keep themselves hydrated and healthy in the summer heat and humidity. This summer is turning out to be a particularly steamy one for many parts of the country, and while the temperatures haven't been "record high" in New York, there are still countless workers exposed to hot and humid environments on a daily basis. What many employees - and in some cases, their employers - don't realize is that heat-related illnesses can result in serious injury and even death.

What are heat-related illnesses? Sometimes when the body is exposed to hot and humid conditions, it simply cannot cool itself enough. When that happens, heat exhaustion and other heat-related, on-the-job injuries can occur. According to information about heat illnesses provided by the New York City Department of Health, heat exhaustion can cause nausea, vomiting, clammy skin, weakness and dizziness. When the body's temperature spikes suddenly, heat stroke is possible. Heat stroke is the most serious heat-related illness, and it can cause death if not properly treated. The NYCDH also gives some guidance about the warning signs of heat stroke, which include excessive sweating, muscle cramps, loss of appetite, confusion, hallucinations and light-headedness.

Who's at risk? Obviously, those working outside in the summer heat, including construction workers, landscapers, roofers, painters, window washers, delivery persons, law enforcement professionals and utility workers are at high risk. People working inside with no air conditioning or little ventilation, metal workers, restaurant chefs and those in commercial bakeries (and other factory positions) can also succumb to the heat.

Heat-related illnesses are more common in the elderly, those unaccustomed to the heat (like new hires who have not yet built up a tolerance or workers returning from an extended break), those taking medications that make them more susceptible to heat (antidepressants and anti-anxiety medicines are notorious for this) and those who have pre-existing medical conditions.

Prevention: They say that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. That is definitely true when it comes to preventing heat-related illnesses. Employers and workers who understand the dangers associated with excess heat and humidity can take steps to ensure that their bodies are not overcome by the stress of hot, humid weather. The most important thing that any outdoor worker (or one in a heated indoor environment) to remember is that water is absolutely crucial. Drinking at least one cup of cooled water every 15 to 20 minutes can go a long way toward keeping the body's temperature under control.

Wearing loose-fitting clothing and a hat to protect the body from the sun's rays can also be beneficial. Another helpful hint is to avoid alcohol and caffeine when working in the heat; both of these actually dehydrate the body, so they can diminish the effectiveness of proper water consumption. Taking breaks in the shade often, using fans or air conditions whenever possible, and wearing light-colored clothes will also help put the body in an optimum position to fight the heat and humidity. 

Suncream and cosmetics spark allergy epidemic: Millions of people are being exposed to toxic chemicals in everyday products ranging from shower gel and deodorant to make-up and suncream, doctors have warned. Skin experts say that Britain is in the grip of a skin allergy epidemic which could reach crisis point if more is not done to slash the amount of the preservatives – known as MI and MCI/MI – being used.

Dr John McFadden, consultant dermatologist at St John’s Institute of Dermatology, said: “The time for action is now. We are in the midst of an outbreak of allergy to a preservative (MI) which we have not seen before in terms of scale in our lifetime. “Many of our patients have suffered acute dermatitis with redness and swelling of the face. I would ask the cosmetics industry not to wait for legislation but to get on and address the problem of MI allergy before the situation gets worse.”

Dr David Orton, president of the British Society of Cutaneous Allergy, said: “Data suggest that rates of allergy to these two preservatives are now nearing 10 per cent – and in some cases higher – this is clearly far too high and is an unacceptable situation. “The last time a preservative had this type of effect it was banned by the EU. Although the relevant bodies in Europe have set up a review this all takes time – in the meantime the number of people coming to see us with this allergy is only likely to rise.

“We would welcome the opportunity to meet and discuss this issue with representatives of the UK cosmetics industry so as to take immediate steps to protect UK consumers.” The MI – methylisothiazolinone – and MCI/MI – methylchloroisothiazolinone aka methylisothiazolinone – are found in abundance in personal care products including moist wipes, cleansers and shaving foam as well as products such as washing up liquid. MI is also present in window and floor cleaners, air fresheners and paint. It is also used in the paper, metal and oil industries.

This week, at a City Hall reception in London, party guests roasted – surrounded on all sides by windows that didn't open; and, when windows don't open in summer, they turn into heating panels. Ever since the Romans first inserted glass into wall apertures, the window has got more sophisticated. First came the casement window – with its thick glass divided up into tiny chunks by lead strips. Then came the most sophisticated window of all – the sash window, imported from France in the late 17th century, allowing minute adjustments, with the sashes balanced by cords and weights, and the air circulating through both a top and bottom opening if needed. Through the 18th and 19th centuries, window panes got thinner and thinner, and lighter and lighter, allowing fewer glazing bars – until you got to the stage in the late Victorian period when you could have a single pane of glass over another single pane. And then, suddenly, over the last 20 years, we regressed and sealed our windows permanently shut. Why?

First health & safety working at height workers - Mary Smith: Legendary knocker-upper, picture from 1905. Mary Smith was a notorious character in the east end of London, allegedly earning sixpence a week for shooting peas at the windows of local market workers in Limehouse Fields to get them up in time for work. Knocker-uppers were reportedly on duty in towns and cities across the country between 1870 and 1945!

San Antonio Window Cleaners Needed (Deadline today) - The upcoming TV season sure is shaping up to be a special one for San Antonio viewers. It's to feature real, hard-toiling Americans and, according to casting producer Bonnie Clark, San Antonio is one of the cities selected for the hunt. The idea is that hard work deserves a reward. The ads and online documentary will be produced by the team behind the reality series, “Dirty Jobs.” Those chosen to appear will be paid. A description of what the casting folks are looking for: stories from dedicated workers who know what real labor is all about — ranchers, commercial fishermen, mechanics, factory and construction workers, window washers ... you get the picture.

They're also looking for people who have made a difference off the job: rescuing animals, building a park playground, any deed that showcases sacrifice, integrity and plenty of heart. Busch Beer and the ads' producers hope to come to San Antonio in August to film those chosen. Deadline to apply is July 10. Interested? Send an email to Clark (bclark@pilgrimstudios.com) with the following: name, age, location and phone number. Also include a recent photo and a description of how you really “earn it” at your current job or volunteer effort. Applicants must be older than 25.

Hugh O'Brian reflects on journey from Hollywood window washer to star: When he was a 17-year-old Marine on weekend leave, Hugh O'Brian made easy money washing the storefront windows on Hollywood Boulevard. It was 1943 and O'Brian would go up and down the 6600 block of the boulevard, earning extra cash for his labors -- money he said he generally used to help pay for dates. But it was his fame as an actor that permanently cemented his relationship with this famous street. His star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was dedicated in 1960 -- 6613 Hollywood Blvd., smack in the middle of the neighborhood where he once washed windows.

Sitting on a recent afternoon at a sidewalk table with his wife, Virginia, outside the Lucky Devils gastro pub in the middle of the block, the 88-year-old actor said he has been drawn again and again to this stretch of the boulevard. "I don't remember what kind of store this was back then," he said, "but I used to get $2 to do windows like these. It was good money back in 1943."

Motorcyclist's 528-mile challenge in aid of Hoddlesden boy Sam: Window cleaner Andrew Smith, who is originally from Darwen, will complete the 528-mile round trip for the four-year-old Hoddlesden boy, who was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, an aggressive childhood cancer, in January.

His parents are hoping to be able to take him to America for treatment but need to raise £250,000 to be able to do so.

Father-of-two Mr Smith, 52, who now lives in Salford, said he was inspired to take on the challenge on his Honda Blackbird after reading about Sam’s story in the Lancashire Telegraph. He said: “My mum lives in Hoddlesden and she visits me once a week and brings the papers with her. “I read about Sam and I thought it was a fantastic appeal, so I wanted to raise some money.” Mr Smith expects it will take him around four hours to get to Torquay, where he will have a two-hour rest before starting the journey home again. He has not yet set a date, but expects to complete the challenge at the end of August. Donate here.

DDB MudraMax - Outdoor wins big at Outdoor Advertising Awards (MUMBAI): Outdoor Advertising Awards 2013, which concluded recently, saw DDB MudraMax - Outdoor as the clear winner. The agency once again proved indomitable by bagging eight Golds, five Silvers and four Bronzes and the coveted 'Campaign of the Year' and 'Innovation of the Year' titles. The Campaign of the Year title was given to Volkswagen's campaign titled 'Post-It' and the campaign for Adventure 18 titled 'Window Washers' bagged the Innovation of the Year. Commenting on this exuberant win, DDB Mudra Group COO Pratap Bose said, "This is the fourth year where we have dominated this award function with a sack full of awards. It's a great result for the brave clients that we work with and a great thumbs up for the best Out of Home team in the country."

New York-based ABM is stating that if energy savings, measured annually, don't completely cover the cost of the work, as promised, including new equipment, they'll cut the town a check for the difference. ABM started as a window-washing company in San Francisco more than 100 years ago. It now offers such services as electrical and lighting, electrical testing, facilities engineering, janitorial services, landscaping and energy consulting.

Lucky escape for window washer - Man accidentally rams car into store-front property: The store front of Rent-A-Center was damaged after a man driving a Jeep Grand Cherokee struck parked vehicles before crashing into the business Wednesday near the intersection of W. Loop 281 and Gilmer Road. Police say the Longview man was backing out of a parking space when he lost control of his vehicle. Mike Stacy, manager of Big 5 Tires next door to Rent-A-Center, was on the telephone about 9:30 a.m. when he heard what sounded like a car peeling out of the parking lot. “He left the parking (space), and the vehicle was wide open on the accelerator,” Stacy said, describing the noise coming from the Jeep’s engine. “You could tell from the noise the accelerator was all the way on the floor.”
Witnesses saw the Jeep dart backwards across the parking lot and strike a car, pushing it into a van parked in the next space. With the accelerator still on the floor, Stacy said, the car continued traveling in reverse toward the Capital One bank building before it veered and entered the roadway on Village Drive. Stacy said at one point it appeared Barnes’ Jeep was headed straight into traffic on the loop. The vehicle then hit a small tree and re-entered the parking lot — still in reverse — back to its original parking spot before plowing through the Rent-A-Center’s front, floor-to-ceiling windows. Stacy said it was a miracle no one was hurt since there was a person sitting in the van Barnes damaged, people were walking in the parking lot and a man was washing the window the Jeep drove through.

The Mom thing hits me like a bolt of lightning when I least expect it. Like the other day when I was sitting in a meeting at work watching as a couple ropes swayed to and fro clicking and clacking against the 11th floor windows. I knew a window washer would make his appearance soon, but when his little wooden seat dropped down to my level of vision, my heart skipped a beat. He looked so young that I gasped. “There’s a mother somewhere who worries every day if her son will be safe when he goes to work.”

Students with a talent for IT, electronics or engineering are being sought for the 2013 Bright Sparks competition. The competition, created by The Skills Organisation, is designed to encourage young people, between 11 and 18, to experience electronics by developing and refining an invention before submitting a prototype for judging. This year the panel of four judges – all industry experts in their own right – has strict criteria for selecting a winner. “We’re on the lookout for technical excellence; innovation, including originality and commercial potential; and passion, involving personal engagement,” says Petersen. “It’s important to us that a Bright Sparks entrant has a balance of these three factors in their project.” Previous Bright Sparks award winners have gone on to win awards at national and international levels. The 2012 overall winner, James Watson, took his Rubik’s Cube-solving robot to the International Science Fair in Singapore, while fellow winner Sohail Abdullah (pictured) was selected to attend the prestigious INTEL ISEF Fair in Arizona where his robotic window cleaner placed third among 1500 entries. The awards were first held in 1998 and, Petersen says, the technology has changed markedly in that time, as well as becoming cheaper and more accessible.

Visitors are attracted to a performance by intelligent robots during the four-day 2013 China International Robot Show, which- opened on Tuesday in Shanghai.

Shanghai center to showcase robots: Expo plans to feature machines for dull or complicated assignments. The consumer robotics market is set to have a quick takeoff in China with the nation's first service robot exhibition center scheduled to open in Shanghai by the end of July. A robot-led automation boom is taking place in China as more companies use industrial robots for manufacturing and equipment operation. The market value of industrial robots in China surpassed 1 billion yuan in 2012, up 67 percent from the previous year, said Zhao Xinmin, head of the statistics department at the China Machinery Industry Federation. Service robots have long been a niche market, however, where overall revenue only reached 7 percent of that for industrial robots in 2011, IFR data showed. According to New York-based consulting firm ABI Research, the global consumer robotics market is poised to hit $6.5 billion by 2017 from $1.6 billion in 2012. ABI also said Asian companies are fueling new momentum in the industry by delivering newer task-based products such as window-cleaning robots.

The glass memory has been compared to the "memory crystals" used in the Superman films, which contain recorded holographic video and data saved by his parents.

Glass allows scientists to recreate superman's memory crystals: A new type of computer memory similar to the “memory crystals” used by Superman in the films has been developed. lasers to record and retrieve data from pieces of glass. They claim it could allow up to 360 terabytes, equivalent to 580,000 CDs, to be stored on a single piece of glass the size of a standard CD.  The process uses a laser to reorder the atoms in the crystal structure of the glass. The size and orientation of the tiny structures the laser creates adds extra information in addition to their location. These structures change the way light passes through the glass, meaning it can then be read back.

This means huge amounts of data can be stored. The scientists say that because the glass is stable and heat resistant up to 1,000°C (1,800F), it could also be used to ensure information can be kept safe for long periods of time in archives. Professor Jingyu Zhang, who led from the University of Southampton, said: “We are developing a very stable and safe form of portable memory using glass, which could be highly useful for organisations with big archives. “At the moment companies have to back up their archives every five to ten years because hard-drive memory has a relatively short lifespan. It is the first time researchers had been able store a document in glass using the device and then read it back. Previously the scientists created glass storage that could store the equivalent of a Blu-ray Disc – up to 50GB of data – but they now can store more than seven times that.

The scientists presented their latest work at the Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics in San Jose.

The recording process, which is done by focusing a laser to imprint tiny dots called "voxels" into the pure silica glass. The process makes the glass slightly opaque and polarises the light as it passes through. This can then be read using a optical detector. The glass memory has been compared to the "memory crystals" used in the Superman films, which contain recorded holographic video and data saved by his parents. Professor Peter Kazansky, supervisor of the Optoelectronics Research Centre at Southampton University, added: “It is thrilling to think that we have created the first document which will likely survive the human race. “This technology can secure the last evidence of civilisation: all we’ve learnt will not be forgotten.”

A Hackensack man and his sister have been indicted by a Bergen County grand jury  in connection with a pair of pellet gun shootings in which a man was hit and a young girl was narrowly missed. Nicholas Battaglia, a 25-year-old pizza maker and window washer, apparently was taking potshots at people “for fun,” Detective Capt. Thomas Salcedo told CLIFFVIEW PILOT at the time of the mid-March shootings. The victims were in the area of a Pizza Hut parking lot at Essex and State streets across from Battaglia’s apartment, Salcedo said. “At the time we didn’t know whether it was a drive-by or from a stationary position,” the captain said.

Detectives canvassed the area and hit on Battaglia’s apartment. They knocked and immediately spotted the box for an air rifle inside, Salcedo said. The .177 caliber Crosman Air Rifle — same as the model pictured above — was recovered, authorities said. Battaglia was taken to headquarters, along with his sister, 30-year-old Rebecca Battaglia. Nicholas Battaglia remains held on $75,000 bail in the Bergen County Jail. He faces six grand jury counts related to possessing, pointing and shooting the rifle His sister remains free on two grand jury charges of trying to hide the rifle and keep police from arresting him. Both are due back in Superior Court in Hackensack for conferences on July 17.

Community Alert: The RCMP are warning people about young people going door-to-door offering window cleaning services. In situations where unsolicited services are offered, you need to be wary that it might be an unsavoury character scoping out your residence. Never invite a stranger into your home, and always do reference checks on any contractor.

Percy Main serial conman locked up for cruel scam of Gateshead pensioner: Despicable doorstep trickster Philip Lamb was out of jail just months before he was preying on the vulnerable again. Lamb has a shameful history of posing as a window cleaner to trick his way into the homes of the elderly to steal from them.

And he’d only been released after serving half of a five-year prison sentence for a matter of months when he struck again. This time, the 30-year-old, whose own dad is severely ill, posed as a handyman and knocked on the door of an 84-year-old disabled woman and offered to clear out her gutters. The housebound pensioner, who lived in sheltered accommodation in Felling, Gateshead, initially refused to let him in, saying she thought that he was a conman. But it didn’t stop the career criminal from gaining her trust and worming his way in.

And it was while the victim was fetching him a bucket and water, that the shameless fraudster stole her handbag, a court heard. The woman only noticed her bag was missing after Lamb had left and contacted police. Now, Lamb, of Balkwell Avenue, Percy Main, North Tyneside, who pleaded guilty to burglary of a dwelling at Newcastle Crown Court, has been jailed for six-and-a-half years. Caroline McGurk, prosecuting, said Lamb was caught after police matched DNA to the bucket of water.

Branding Lamb a “serial burglar”, Recorder Keith Miller said: “You’re not a stranger to these courts, far from it. “You’re not a stranger to offences of burglary. You appear to be a serial burglar.” He added: “According to probation records, the circumstances for the matter for which you received five years was you called at the address of an elderly woman and asked if she wanted her windows cleaned. “You asked for her to fill you a bucket of water and you stole cash. The same report indicates a pattern of the deliberate targeting of elderly of vulnerable victims.

“According to the latest victim, you knocked at her door at about 3pm. “She wisely had a chain on the door so she could open it slightly without opening it fully. You asked if she wanted her gutters cleaning. She said the organisation that runs the sheltered accommodation carry out the work on her behalf. “You persisted and said it would only cost her £3. She continued to dispute the need for you to do the work, stating she doesn’t normally have to pay anything. She told you she thought you were a conman and you said ‘certainly not’, but that is precisely what you are.

“She eventually agreed and got a bucket of water for you then you asked for some soap. “She got that and remembered she needed to give you £3 and went to get the money out. “You then tried to confuse her, stating she had given too much money and you gave £1 back. It was after you went that she realised her shopping bag was missing from the side of her chair. “In the bag she not only had her keys, bus pass, rail card, purse, her pension card, spectacles, a bank card, £40 to £50 cash and her rosary beads. I’m sure the latter had particular importance to her. I’m equally sure she looked after all those items in the bag.”

The court heard Lamb committed his latest burglary in May, just five months after he was released from prison in December and while he was still on licence. She said: “He maintains he didn’t know beforehand that the victim was vulnerable as he was not in a clear state of mind.” Ms Hedworth also told the court Lamb, whose girlfriend is standing by him, was planning on giving £100 compensation to his victim.

Jailing Lamb, Recorder Keith Miller said: “The victim has lived in her house for 19 years and she now is frightened and is glad that the locks were changed, otherwise she would not be able to sleep in that property. I have gone at some length through what happened and the way the victim has been affected by it because, sooner or later, you’re going to have to realise that you must change your ways. The sentencing for this sort of offending only gets higher and higher.” Lamb fleeced an 81-year-old woman after posing as a window cleaner during the 2010 offence.

Woman Attacks Boyfriend With Windex, Car: A woman is accused of running down her boyfriend outside a store she was already banned from before attacking him with a bottle of window cleaner and standing over him with a box cutter. New Castle City Police say they responded to the BJ’s on Sunset Boulevard around 2:30 p.m. Monday for the report of a domestic incident between a man and a woman. Police say they found Adrienne Dorman, 21, of the 500 block S Dupont Highway standing over her 21-year-old boyfriend with a box cutter in her hand. BJ’s staff told officers that Dorman had already been banned form the store because of previous fights with her boyfriend.

The duo got into a fight in the parking lot this time over a cell phone. Witnesses told police Dorman intentionally struck her boyfriend with her car, sending him airborne. As the man lay on the ground, Dorman allegedly sprayed him in the face with Windex and began to go through his pockets. Police officers said they found her standing over the victim with the open box cutter. Officers were able to disarm Dorman and take her into custody. She was charged with second-degree assault, trespassing and related charges and released on $10,4000 unsecured bond. She was also ordered to have no contact with the victim and ordered not to drive a car. Her boyfriend was treated at a local hospital for leg injuries. Also see: A Use For Spray-On Window Cleaner.

Justin Bieber urinates into restaurant mop bucket then decries ... President Bill Clinton? Justin Bieber acting out of control and as if he can do anything he wants continues, as TMZ has video of the pop star urinating into a mop bucket in a restaurant kitchen. TMZ is told the clip was shot earlier this year when Bieber and his entourage were leaving a nigihtclub by exiting through the restaurant kitchen. And instead of using a restroom like a normal person, Bieber decides to pee in some poor janitor's mop bucket while laughing like an idiot. And his "Wild Kidz" entourage buddies act like this is a moment to remember. Then on the way out of the restaurant, Bieber sprays window cleaner on a photo of President Bill Clinton that hangs on the wall, shouting, "F*** Bill Clinton." So, have we started an office pool yet for the total implosion of Bieber? Whatcha got?

Solar Flare Could Disrupt Businesses

No one was more surprised today than me when I woke up this morning without power - seems like it had taken out our fridge freezer!

An extremely powerful solar flare, the largest in over four years, rocked the sun early Tuesday (Aug. 9), but is unlikely to wreak any serious havoc here on Earth, scientists say. "It was a big flare," said Joe Kunches, a space scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s Space Weather Prediction Center. "We lucked out because the site of the eruption at the sun was not facing the Earth, so we will probably feel no ill effects."

Today's solar flare began at 3:48 a.m. EDT (0748 GMT), and was rated a class X6.9 on the three-class scale scientists use to measure the strength of solar flares. The strongest type of solar eruption is class X, while class C represents the weakest and class M flares are medium-strength events. The flare is the largest one yet in the sun's current cycle, which began in 2008 and is expected to last until around 2020. Solar activity waxes and wanes over an 11-year sun weather cycle, with the star currently heading toward a solar maximum in 2013.

"This flare had a GOES X-ray magnitude of X6.9, meaning it was more than 3 times larger than the previous largest flare of this solar cycle - the X2.2 that occurred on Feb 15, 2011," scientists with NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, a space observatory that monitors the sun, wrote in an update. Before the Feb. 15 storm, the largest recent solar flare occurred in December 2006, when an X9-class solar storm erupted from the sun. Solar flares occur when magnetic field lines on the sun get tangled up into knots, building potential energy until they reach a tipping point. Then, that energy is converted into heat, light and the motion of charged particles.

While all X-class solar eruptions are major events, they pose the greatest threat to Earth when they are aimed directly at the planet. During those events the sun often releases a cloud of plasma called a coronal mass ejection into space, and sometimes toward Earth. This ejection hurls charged particles that can damage satellites, endanger astronauts in orbit, and interfere with power systems, communications and other infrastructure on the planet. Today's solar flare, and resulting coronal mass ejection (CME) was not aimed at us, however. "Because of its position the CME is going to shoot out into space and not be Earth-directed, and we don't expect any big geomagnetic storm with this," Kunches told SPACE.com. "We did luck out. If this would have happened a week ago, who knows?"

Communications blackouts reported: However, some VLF and HF radio communications blackouts have been reported, according to Spaceweather.com, a website that monitors space weather events. Whatever particles do head our way should reach us in a few days. "The cloud will probably miss Earth," SpaceWeather.com wrote. "At this time, however, we cannot rule out a glancing blow from the flank of the CME on or about August 11th." The plus side of such a collision is often unusually spectacular auroras, or Northern and Southern Lights, which occur when charged particles interact with Earth's magnetic field.